The present invention relates in general to improved consumer comfort products, and more particularly to an improved fabric covered mattress pad which is both washable and non-slip.
A considerable number of products have been marketed for some time in the nature of mattress pads, overlays, or some sort of device a user can add to the upper support surface of an existing mattress. Other uses of such types of products may involve their placement directly on a floor, such as beneath a temporary air mattress or a sleeping bag, rather than directly on a regular bed mattress.
A number of such designs involve various pads or overlays formed at least in part from foam materials, such as resilient polyurethane foam. Such foam pieces may have various surface shapes for user comfort, including, for example, such as a convoluted upper surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,725 entitled "Mattress Cushion with Securement Feature" and commonly assigned with the subject application, is an example of a resilient foam mattress supplement or pad with a convoluted support surface on one side thereof, and with no covering.
A significant aspect of consumer goods, especially articles used on a bed, is whether it is practical to periodically wash such goods, and the ease with which washing is accomplished. Mattress pads of unfinished foam (i.e., plain foam pads without any sort of covering) are generally not well suited for routine washing. Specifically, plain foam typically lacks adequate tensile strength to withstand washing. In other words, resilient foam acts very much like a sponge, which absorbs tremendous amounts of water having relatively great weight. Under such circumstances, unfinished foam is highly subject to becoming torn or otherwise damaged during a wash cycle or subsequent handling.
Other approaches to providing a washable product involving foam (or other filled tickings) is to have a sewn product made with a traditional "quilting" machine which sews through the filler and the covering. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,610 entitled "Multi Layer Supplemental Support Pad" and commonly assigned with the subject application, shows a layer of foam surrounded by fabric material, all held together with stitching.
One drawback to such arrangements generally is that the above-referenced conventional quilting machine has an opening which can only handle a limited thickness of collective materials, such as only one-half to three-quarters of an inch thick. Such limitation makes it impractical to use such technology to create a mattress pad of adequate thickness for relatively firm support while still producing a washable product.
In another aspect of U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,610, various straps are provide to aid securing of the product during use, in particular, involving, for example, a chaise lounge chair.
Yet another approach in the marketplace to providing a covered mattress pad involves providing a pad with a completely removable (for example, zippered) fabric cover. Typical such arrangements may involve a foam base pad or polyester filling, with a fabric cover having a peripheral zipper which exposes one or more edges of the interior base pad, for selected removal and reentry thereof.
Various drawbacks exist with approaches involving the removal of an exterior cover from a base pad. For example, only the cover itself is washable in those circumstances, for generally the same reasons that an unfinished foam piece is unwashable. Another negative aspect is simply the fact of having to remove and subsequently reposition the cover in order to conduct even such partial washing of the product. Such removal and reentry operations are often difficult and/or relatively time consuming to realign the base as desired within the cover. Still a further drawback is that many such arrangements require or make use of straps or similar means to hold the product in place on the mattress. Such are needed because the cover material is often relatively slick, thereby reducing frictional engagement and preventing self-positioning or non-slip functioning of the product.
Other examples of various support supplements are shown by U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,000 and U.S. Design Pat. No. D362,578, both of which are commonly assigned with the subject application.